


Judging By a Book's Cover is Forbidden

by oyechi



Series: Life's No Fun Without a Good Scare [6]
Category: GOT7, mentions of BTS - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Character Death, Disney Movies, Fantasy, Fluff, Hybrids, Interspecies Romance, M/M, Mystery, Not Beta Read, Romance, Spoilers, Supernatural Elements, Superntural - Freeform, Suspense, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 20:24:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5347409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oyechi/pseuds/oyechi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Snow White story with it's twists here & there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Judging By a Book's Cover is Forbidden

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing: MarkJae
> 
> Genres: Supernatural, character death, hybrid!au, romance, fluff, slight suspense, fantasy, & unintentionally chaptered.

**Not** everything at first glance is what it seems, and Youngjae was the perfect example of that saying. While his appearance might be harmless, and alluring, not to mention, with his snow white skin and jet black hair, the truth was that he wasn’t human exactly. All he needed to do was show off his fangs and you would immediately know what he was in reality. Here comes the next twist. Instead of drinking actual blood like many writers have written through out years, he drinks the color red. Give him a red object or food, say an apple, and he’ll drink its color. The apple will be perfectly untouched, however, all of its nutrients will have been sucked out of it.

Youngjae isn’t sure why he’s like that exactly. Since a long time ago, his family has ruled over the large territory known as Kmar, and it’s been rumored that a woman made her way into the castle. She was different from all of the woman in town and his great-great-great-great-great…great-great-grandfather fell for her charms. They were in love or so he believed, until one stormy night where she bit him and converted him into one of her kind. Up until then, drinking blood was the ritual for them, but for some odd reason, through out the years it changed. No one is sure as to what triggered the change, but it’s made living amongst humans far easier than it used to be. Hunting has also been easier since then; they no longer need to go after human blood, but instead they can satisfy themselves with an apple or strawberry. There are others that prefer the old ways and hunt humans despite not being able to suck their blood exactly. Perhaps it’s even more dangerous than before; instead of their blood, they suck away the life until there’s nothing left, which is precisely why as to this hobby is considered taboo amongst vampires like Youngjae.

He was to be the heir of the thrown as requested by his father, the king, but when Youngjae was younger, his mother fell terribly ill. It was a rare illness; the cold feet and while it might sound harmless, it wasn’t. The illness paralyzed the body for long periods of hours, sometimes weeks, and slowly the muscles of the body begin to lose its strength. Those were the coldest days in the entire history of Kmar. There wasn’t a soul in town that was pleased by the news and that didn’t pray everyday for her health. In fact, one of the most well known healers crossed the whole country just to drop by and try her best at healing his mother. The illness was far too strong for her alone and even with a group of healers, she doubted if she could heal her fully without inflicting damage on the patient. As a result, his mother died a couple of weeks later. According to the healers, the last thing to completely stop moving was her heart and when it did, her life stopped all together.

His father wasn’t pleased about the news.

To the point where he began to seclude himself from everyone in the castle and starve himself. That was one of the worst ways a vampire could die, besides being staked in the heart of course. Its said hunger constricts you from doing anything at all, losing all reason and logic until you’re only seeing red. It’s a sensitive time for vampires since all of their senses become hyperaware of everything alive and moving. Youngjae has even heard of rumors that when a vampire starves themselves, it’s said to revert back to their old ways and drink from humans. Not that there have been solid evidence about it though. A vampire could obviously die with the lack of red and that was precisely why everyone in the castle was worried. Everyone thought of ways to cheer the king up and get him out of his room, which eventually worked when he was on the verge of life and death. Fast forward to a couple of weeks later, and his father wanted to meet new people.

Ladies and gentleman from other kingdoms traveled all the way dressed in their best dresses and suits and styled by the most known stylists, all for one reason. Youngjae was 6 years old when his father held that ball, and he remembers his father looking particularly bored. His smile seemed forced towards a couple of ladies he chatted with until he stopped everything and looked dumbstruck. That was the first time Youngjae had seen _that_ person, and he really thinks now that they should’ve known better than to fall for that smile of theirs.

The person walked down the grand hall, everyone making way for the person that caught the king’s eye, and revealed to be a man. Everyone began to whisper right around then, admiring from a far the man’s beauty; mysterious dark slanted eyes, terribly pale skin that resembled very much like Youngjae’s, hair dark as night styled nicely, and plum lips that made everyone feel ashamed of theirs. The man smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corner, as he bowed politely at the king. “It’s an honor to meet you, your highness. I am Park Jinyoung of the South.”

His father’s face lit with recognition, “You mean _the_ Park’s family known for crossbreeding with other species?”

The man, Park Jinyoung, chuckled as he averted his eyes from the king’s face. “Yes, my father sent me in place of my sister.” He paused for a moment. “Is that alright?”

“Oh, most certainly yes!” He smiled at him before he offered a hand to him “Would you like a tour around the castle?”

“I would be honored to.”

Nobody else bothered to go up to the king and introduce themselves because they knew he had fallen for the mysterious man. Youngjae had been happy for his father back then, especially when he had announced it to everyone in town that they were engaged. Everyone cheered and threw festivals day after day in honor of the new queen to be, or better said, _king_ to be. People from all over the world sent them their blessings in form of a grand gift and really, up until then nothing could’ve gone wrong. They successfully got married and were living happily ever after for a couple of months already before an unexpected tragedy happened. His father died. Nobody knew how. That day when Park Jinyoung woke up, next to him laid the dead body of his husband unharmed and untouched like the last time he had seen him since the day before.

Since then, nothing was the same. Unlike his father when his wife had died, Park Jinyoung did not shed a tear. If he did, he never did it in front of the public and did it when he was alone. He did not wish to meet anyone new and decided it would be best if he governed the town on his own. Park Jinyoung governed differently from his father, imposing taxes on the townspeople like crazy and chopping off heads if they broke the law. During trials, it all depended on his moods. If he was in a bad mood and you were a werewolf, off with a silver death penalty. If he was in a fairly good mood and you were an incubus, he’d let you off with a warning. It wasn’t only during trials where it depended on his moods. At the castle, everyone worked under him in fear for their lives and tried their best to please him. Otherwise, “Your two minutes late. Off in the dungeon!”

And if you happened to be Youngjae, then your life would be miserable. He swears he doesn’t know what he did to deserve the treatment he receives, but it’s as if Park Jinyoung was bent on making his life miserable. Whenever he passed by him and didn’t bow as he was supposed to, clean the dungeons. Whenever he tried talking to him, clean the hallways. Whenever he was happy about something, clean the dishes. Whenever he just existed and happened to be near him, lock him the dungeon for days, weeks until he was over it. It’s sort of a miracle he hasn’t killed him off yet because the resentment in his eyes whenever they have a moment of eye contact is clear as a day. Youngjae received the message loud and clear after the first time they looked at each other since his father’s death.

His stare was intense. In a single moment, he had trapped Youngjae with his gaze, constricting him from moving completely. It wasn’t nowhere near in the he’s-so-breathtaking-kind of way. It was more of a hunter-staring-at-its-prey-kind of way waiting for the right moment to strike and take its life away. His gaze had intended to come off as intimidating, as if there was no way out of it and he was trapped, and it worked successfully because Youngjae was frightened by him. The man before him at that moment wasn’t the Park Jinyoung he met when his father introduced him to him back at the ball, but it was a different one, one his father certainly hadn’t met. He was another perfect example of the saying not everything is not what it seems, but that was about the one out of three things he had in common with Youngjae. They were complete opposites.

Years passed since then and everyone grew used to being ruled over by the terribly ruthless ruler. What used to be one of the most known towns for being so lively and full of life, was now cold and lifeless. Nobody dared to do anything at all in fear of losing their head (and everything else they had). Many innocent lives had been lost to the moods of the king. It was rare that a life was spared and left alone with, but it usually ended as an act of pity and in exchange their punishment was to rot in the dungeon. There had been many people over the years that despised him and have tried to change things, meeting up in secret and making up plans to take him down, but Park Jinyoung was cleverer than he looks. No one knew how, but he always knew about their meetings and managed to throw everyone in the dungeons.

However, as the years passed, Youngjae has grown significantly. His beauty only seemed to boost up as he was nearing the coming of age, pairing up with the king’s beauty.

And that wasn’t good.

On one sunny day, Park Jinyoung made Youngjae clean up the dungeons for the one hundredth time on that same year. The latter was used to the treatment already, not even bothering anymore on refuting back because that only made things worse. Instead, he tried seeing the bright side out of things and officially made cleaning one of his hobbies. It wasn’t the most fun thing to do like singing was, but it was better than sitting around and letting himself get trampled over Park Jinyoung. He would take cleaning the dungeons any day than let that happen (again).

After having cleaned it up so many times, he knows his way around the dungeons well. He also knows that the dungeons aren’t so dirty since he began cleaning it up, but he figures that Park Jinyoung just wants to make him work some extra. He rolls his eyes at the thought, but starts scrubbing the floors nevertheless. Youngjae scrubs in circle motions, not as hard as he used to do in the beginning, but with enough force to notice the subtle change of shade. If there was something he wouldn’t ever admit out loud, it was that. Despite everything, he loved knowing his hard work would pay off in the end. Although it would surely be dirtied again by the king’s future prisoners again, it was still fulfilling in that sense. Nobody would notice it except him and he’s okay with it.

A melody flows out of his lips naturally as if was inevitable from happening. The dungeons are huge and spacious, and it’s suddenly echoing with his melodious voice everywhere. Youngjae smiles as he continues scrubbing, silently hoping that a certain someone wouldn’t catch him singing. It’s never happened before because he catches the sound of footsteps in time and shuts up before Park Jinyoung can say anything about it. He likes to think that he’s the only one aware of his hidden hobby, but little did he know that there was someone else that did.

It was right around then he noticed a small little bird by one of the few windows of the dungeon, chirping along as if singing with him. It was a beautiful bird with its gold like feathers and incredibly dark brown eyes that stood out. Youngjae held out his hand to the bird waiting for it to stand on his finger with a smile on his face. Almost immediately, the bird flew for a moment and then it was on his finger, its feet gripping his fingers firmly for support. It chirped again making him smile wider and he pet it’s head gently, careful as to not make any brusque movement. “I guess you like to sing.” He chuckled when he saw it tilt its head in question, its eyes twinkling with curiosity. “Just like me.”

Youngjae got up from the floor, forgetting about his chores, and twirled around, causing the bird to fly to where it was just now. “I guess he won’t notice if I didn’t finish cleaning it…” he mumbled as he looked at the endless dungeons. He peeked through the doors just to be 100% sure there was no one else but him. When he saw the coast was clear, he sprinted through the door and ran in the hall ways, feeling light and free as he felt a light breeze. He takes various rights and then left until he was finally at the kitchen, where a couple of employees watched him escape through the back door. No one mentioned it and acted as if they didn’t see anything.

It was a beautiful day out. The sky a light blue, making the clouds look almost fake, different shades of white and gray coloring it and adding it more life. The birds were singing chirpily and Youngjae walked over to the tree where they were, hoping to see the bird from before. Unfortunately, the bird was nowhere near in sight and he didn’t mask well his disappointment. He was hoping to sing with it some more, continuing their little duet from before, but instead he opted for a walk around the forest. It’s been a while anyways since he last took a walk.

The forest was peaceful and solitary unlike some days. There were other times when he sneaked out from the castle where he bumped into a town villager, usually male teenagers around his age that was looking for some alone time and he would try to make a conversation or two. Their conversations were always cut short; either Park Jinyoung found out he had escaped again or the teenager had to leave. It didn’t bother him, but there were times where he wished he could’ve stayed longer and converse some more. He knew better than to ask such a thing to the king so he always returned back to the castle without a complaint being said. However, Youngjae paced himself around the forest that day, humming another song as he looked around him. Nothing about the forest had changed since the last time he visited, looking aesthetically on point with the sun peeking in between the leaves, providing a wonderful shade. The breeze felt way better than he thought he would and sprawled himself on the grass, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin. It wasn’t exactly healthy for him to be doing that, considering he was a vampire and vampires grow weaker in the sun, but doing it once or twice wouldn’t kill him. He closed his eyes, feeling one with nature.

Several minutes passed before he heard a familiar chirping from a bird nearby. Youngjae immediately opened his eyes, sitting up as he searched around for the bird from before. He smiled when he saw it standing on a tree’s ranch, looking particularly fluffy and cute than he had remembered it to look like. “I thought you ditched me.” He pouted before he smiled wider when he heard it chirp in response. It was almost as if the bird understood everything he was saying. “But now that you’re here, sing with me!”  

He got up on his feet and began singing, twirling around in circles as he had done before, only this time with a rhythm that was guiding him. The bird eventually accompanied his singing; not as loudly as before though. Instead, it flew around Youngjae before its body started to take form of a human with golden locks and a handsome face, a wicked smile on their face. It surprised the vampire, causing him to stop singing immediately and look at the person that was now with him. “What’s wrong? You wanted to sing so sing.” The bird, person, _whatever_ he was, said; their voice unexpectedly husky and deep despite its beautiful voice as a bird. “I’ll just dance since my voice isn’t that great like yours.” Their hand was immediately on Youngjae’s waist, pulling him closer as his other hand was holding his. They slowly danced around in circles, the vampire still not taking in what happened. “Who are you?” he finally asked, confusion written all over his face. “No, wait, _what_ are you?”

“I’m Mark Tuan and I’m a hybrid.” The person finally explained, his expression amused, “I’m half human and half bird.”

They continued twirling around. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“My family is the first and last of my kind. According to my dad, some scientist was trying out something and accidentally made our kind.” Mark shrugged as he shifted away his eyes for a moment, “Supposedly it was my great-great grandfather the one that was created. Then he met my great-great grandmother and the rest is history.”

“That’s actually really interesting.” Youngjae said as he took in the information, not having realized yet he hadn’t made an effort to move away from the stranger. “I’ve heard of many exceptions about other species, but never like yours.”

The latter met his eyes again, unintentionally making his heart skip a beat. “Then I’m glad you find it interesting.”

He looked away this time and tried to break away from his hold. How could he have let himself get swept away so easily like that? While it was true there was certainly something magical about the stranger with him, he couldn’t have let him touch him as he pleases. Mark wouldn’t budge and instead, held firmer in his grip. “Just one dance. I probably won’t see you again after this.”

“Why do you say that?” Youngjae looked at him again and saw him roll his eyes.

“You hardly leave the castle because of the king.” He said with obvious dislike and disappointment, “And when you do, you’re always doing something.”

A tiny laughed escaped his lips, his eyes amused now. “You’re actually sulking?”

“And you keep asking questions.” He replied instead of answering his question. Both males were silent as they continued dancing around in circles in the sun. Youngjae had danced before with many people during balls his father held when he was still alive, and unfortunately had the chance to dance with people that didn’t know how to dance. He thought for sure the stranger would be like them but to his pleasant surprise, Mark knew how to dance well. He wasn’t looking at their feet but instead, he held his gaze confidently through out the dance. It made his cheeks burn and he wondered if it was the sun that was starting to affect him or not.

It was different from all of the other times he had danced. During the balls, the dances had felt much more impersonal and uncomfortable since he was more or less forced to dance with the person. There were even times when they tried to flirt with him, but Youngjae flat out pushed them away and left the ball. This time the feeling was much more intimate and surprisingly comfortable than he was used to. It was slow than what he was used to, but he felt himself relaxing more and more under Mark’s touch. From time to time, the latter would pull him out of his arms and make him twirl before pulling him back in. It made him laugh because never before he had such a nice time dancing with someone.

They continued dancing in slow manner as the sun continued shinning over them, but not as strongly as before. A shade from a nearby tree had settled close by and they danced around it. The wind blew every now and then; ruining each other’s hair and forming a tornado instead, but neither cared. Both males laughed once the wind stopped blowing and wasn’t in their mouths. There were a few birds flying over them and chirping something that Mark seemed to understand. Youngjae watched fascinated as the latter whistled something back before turning back his attention to him. He immediately smiled, his pearly white teeth showing, and twirled him again.

The dance slowly started to slow down as they weren’t dancing anymore, but taking steps in a paused motion. They looked at each other again as they finally stopped dancing, Mark slowly removing his hand on his wait and stopped holding his hands. He immediately missed the warmth he had grown used to, and couldn’t help but wish they had danced for a little longer. Then again, this is what he wanted, no? “You should go back inside.” The hybrid broke the silence as he gestured toward the castle. “You were doing something before this.”

“I don’t want to though.” Youngjae replied as he puffed out his cheeks in a sulky manner.

“You should.” Mark chuckled as he shook his head. “You don’t wanna get stuck cleaning it again, do you?”

He shrugged before he added as an after thought, “Then could you accompany me? I mean, it gets boring being alone.”

It was obvious to Youngjae that the latter hadn’t been expecting the suggestion. His eyes were wide in surprised but he quickly composed himself. A lovely smile broke out on his lips before he rubbed his neck in a shy manner, making the vampire coo internally at how cute he was acting. “Well, sure. I mean, that would be an honor to.”

On the way back to the castle, Mark transformed back into a bird so it was quieter than it was a second ago. He didn’t mind it as much as he thought it would, reasoning that he would already have someone to hang out with while he did his chores. He returned to the castle sooner than what he would’ve liked. Everyone in the kitchen greeted him with smiles before one of them, Kim Yugyeom, whispered to him, “The king’s looking for you. Said something about an important talk.”

That certainly couldn’t be good. Instead of walking back to the dungeon, he walked down the familiar hallways that used to lead to his father’s bedroom. Now it was Park Jinyoung’s bedroom and almost nobody, except for a few maids and him, has entered the room since then. It was also the coldest part in the castle since the king liked to freeze himself according to Youngjae. He continued walking down the hallways before taking a right and at the end of another long hallway was a giant door with fancy decorating on it. He was about to take a step when he remembered that Mark was with him, and he turned around to look to see if he was still there. He wanted to tell him it would be better if he went back home for the day since it seemed like he would be held back from hanging out with him. Luckily, the bird seemed to have sensed the change of tension and had already left before he even remembered he was there. The vampire then continued to the bedroom, taking small steps on purpose so he wouldn’t have to face him so soon.

It was short lived his moment when the doors suddenly opened, mist oozing off from the room. Youngjae stared bewildered at it before he noticed the silhouette coming out from the room and he immediately straightened himself. “Could you be any slower?” he heard Park Jinyoung say.

“I’m sorry.” he said not really meaning it. There were a few steps heard before he finally had a clear view of his face, eyes looking down at him impassively. He sighed before he turned his back to him again and gestured him to follow him. Seeing as there was no other choice, the vampire followed him into his bedroom. The bedroom was just as he remembered; it was one of the most spacious rooms in the castle that even had a tiny library in the back of the room that his father used to love. It used to be a bright, beautiful splash of white with red and gold everywhere, paintings of the most famous painters hanging on the walls and seats everywhere for one to sit down on. Now it was the complete opposite. The room was a dark shade of blue navy and white with silver almost everywhere, paintings taken down and instead self portraits done by himself are put up, and there were hardly any seats now since no one passes by. The layout of the room hasn’t changed much per se, except that the bed was facing another direction than it used to.

Park Jinyoung walks around his room before he sits down gracefully on one of his few seats, motioning him to do the same. It makes him feel stuffy and awkward as he walked around the room to sit down next to him. There was silence for a moment before a maid entered and poured them some tea before leaving. The king took a sip before he placed back the tea, a tiny sound heard from the contact of the two objects. “I’ll get straight to the point,” he started to say as he looked at him firmly in the eyes. “You’ll be sent tomorrow to a ball being held at the West by the Im families. There you’ll meet their son and be become an acquaintance of his.”

It took him a moment to register what he meant. “You’re planning on marrying me off to someone I don’t even know?”

“Correction, to someone you _will_ know.” Park Jinyoung chuckled darkly at his own joke before he sipped some more of his tea. “Now off with you. You haven’t finished your chores. Don’t think I don’t know.”

Youngjae rolled his eyes at him before he got up and slammed the door, leaving the king alone. The latter looked at the door thoughtfully before he got up from his seat. He was still holding the cup of tea in his hand as he took sips from it, heading to the library in the back. The lights suddenly turned on automatically and he placed the cup of tea on one of the bookshelves. He looked over the books before he took out one and stood there. Nothing happened at first when suddenly everything started to shake violently; one of the bookshelves next to him was suddenly moving to reveal a dusty staircase. Park Jinyoung grabbed his cup of tea again and headed downstairs, the main entrance closing automatically.

The steps were steep and made out of stone that if he were to fall, he’d get hurt badly. They didn’t make squeaky sounds like in some horror movies, but a loud sound was followed all over the staircase. Lights turned on automatically with each step he took, though they didn’t really help because they were dim. His clothing camouflaged with the darkness that surrounded him, his skin a yellowish color because of the lights, and his vision slowly getting used to the darkness. There was a bright light at the end of the staircase that he used as reference and with careful steps, he took his final step from the staircase. Park Jinyoung entered the room with the bright lighting and inside of the room was filled with pots labeled out specifically, books about spells and witchcraft scattered all over the ground and desks, and a big, giant cauldron at the corner of the room.

A smirk appeared on his face as he placed his cold tea on the desk and grabbed one of the books on the floor. He looked over the pages briefly before he stopped, and muttered something under his breath. Mist started to flow out of his cauldron as he walked over to it and said, “Show me Kunpimook.” Inside the cauldron, an image of a fairly tall person with melanin skin appeared as they gathered something that appeared like a stake. “I hope you haven’t forgotten your mission.” He said, catching the person’s attention.

“My lord.” Kunpimook bowed respectfully at him before lifting his head. “Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten what I must do.”

“Remember I want proof.” Park Jinyoung said dangerously, his eyes intense and filled with hatred. “If you don’t have proof, I will know.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You may leave now.” He said with a wave of hand, the image disappearing until there was nothing but an empty cauldron. He turned around as he eyed the room and decided that it wouldn’t hurt if he had a backup plan. He may trust Kunpimook with many things and missions, but he knew the latter well. There was simply no way he would be able to take away a life…

But he could.

 

►►►►►►

 

It was late in the night when Youngjae was going to bed with a frown on his face. He still couldn’t believe Park Jinyoung was going to send him off like that. He preferred everything else the latter had made him do all these years than to have to go through those awkward first meetings. Maybe this was his way of getting rid of him out of his life. It certainly seemed so, but he couldn’t help but think that there was something wrong about it. He was always so sure that if the king ever had it with him, he would kill him with a stake right in the heart. It sounded grotesque, yes, but he couldn’t help but remember how his father had died so peacefully in his sleep. If he were to ever die, then his death would be the complete opposite to his. That’s what he thought whenever he met Park Jinyoung’s eyes that were slowly planning his death.

Such morbid thoughts wouldn’t let him sleep. He sat on his bed, the bed sheets crumpled and wrinkled completely to the side. He got out of his giant bed and walked over to the window so he could watch the moon at its peak. The moon was the only thing out there that was illuminating the town; all of the houses shut off automatically and off in dreamland according to one of the king’s laws. If you broke the law, then off in the dungeons. What a shocker, he muses to himself as he stares at the dead town that he was supposed to govern one day. If he were to ever govern one day, one of the first things he’ll do is break that law and give back the freedom the townspeople deserve.

He decided that taking a walk around the castle didn’t seem like such a bad idea. He slipped on some slippers and quietly left his room, his mind awake with a million thoughts. The castle during the night truly looked lonely with its empties halls and the moonlight coming in from the giant glass windows. It was beautiful, however, because wherever he walked to, the moon was accompanying him. It made him smile and he decided that it wouldn’t be such a bad idea either to pass by the kitchen and grab some snacks, and maybe hang outside the castle for a while. Youngjae walked calmly around the halls, looking at his surroundings and noting how everything seemed alien compared to in the day. He took a few rights and lefts before he finally arrived at the kitchen, and immediately spotted the plates of apples. His mouth was drooling and he practically jumped over to them, and noticed the sticky note. It said:

_In case you get hungry during the night_

-          _K.Y._

Youngjae made a mental note to thank his friend before he grabbed an apple and headed outside. He didn’t stray off the castle grounds this time, aware that the forest during the night was way different than during the day. He sat down close to a well and hugged his body closer since it was pretty cold that night. His fangs finally made their appearance, pearly white and sharp, before he took a bite out of the apple. The gush of nutrients was smoothing and relaxing, the coldness of the color giving him a tiny brain freeze. That’s his favorite part of it and he continues sucking in a fast pace instead of fully enjoying the apple. It all comes to an abrupt end when there’s nothing else to suck anymore, and he looks at the apple only to see it grey and lifeless. Youngjae throws it inside of the well, reasoning that it was organic and that he wasn’t contaminating.

It wasn’t as quiet as it was inside. He could still hear animals rustling around the bushes and the croaks coming from nearby frogs. He noticed a few owls hanging around the trees, staring at nothing in particular and he immediately reminded of his new friend. The thought made him smile and he wondered when would be the next he could see him. The hybrid had left so quietly that he didn’t even notice and couldn’t properly say goodbye to him. A thought of their previous conversation crossed his mind, and he wondered why it couldn’t have been him instead of some fancy prince of the West. He snorted at the thought, not having realized that he unconsciously wished for it to be him. Youngjae’s mood takes a turn when he remembers his talk with Park Jinyoung, and he frowns again. _Right_. That had happened today too. He wished he had forgotten all about it already, but it would replay the words over and over again that he was sick of it.

Something moved in the corner of his eyes. His head turned to face the direction he had seen something move, but nothing happened. He made a face at it, telling himself that it was nothing and that he could easily defend himself if something were to happen. The thought relaxes him again before he heard another sound from the same direction. Youngjae looked at it again, not really expecting to see something but this time, he did see something. His eyes widened in shock (and maybe fear) before he stood up, ready to fight back when the silhouette turned clearer in the moonlight. If it hadn’t been for the moonlight, he wouldn’t have guessed it to be Mark Tuan and he’s never been so glad that it wasn’t something else out to get him. He looked the same as the last he saw him, but maybe he was a little more celestial because of the moonlight. Yeah, that must be it.

The latter smiled at him as he tilted his head confused. “What are you doing out here? You’re usually, like, always inside.”

“Are you stalking me?” Youngjae asked back as he smiled back amused. “You always seem to know when I’m inside or not.”

There was a pause and he thinks that maybe he was embarrassed with the way his feet shifted around and looked everywhere else but him. “I guess I am? But like at the same time it’s unavoidable since I like to fly a lot so I just happen to see you a lot…”

“Excuses,” he tsk-ed at him, his smile growing wider once he saw how flustered Mark was getting. “You just liked to fly because you were obviously checking me out.”

“Okay, fine, so let’s say I was flying around because I thought you were cute. What would you do?” the latter replied exasperated, not believing how the tables has turned on him.

Youngjae paused as he faked thinking his answer, proposedly taking a long time just to unnerve him more. “Well, what if I’d told you I wouldn’t mind? That it was actually cute of you to do?”

It was ridiculous on both of their parts to even be playing this game. Both knew that they had meant what each other said, but didn’t want to risk anything just in case. They had met each other for the first time earlier during the day after all. Youngjae told himself this before he sat down again and motioned for the other male to sit next to him. There was a pause of hesitance, but then he sat down next to him, leaving a reasonable space between them. He smiled at him and looked up at the moon as a sigh escaped his lips. “The truth is I’m leaving tomorrow to visit a ball.” He shared, disappointment evident on his voice.

“Oh.” Mark paused as he looked at him again. “But you’ll be back right?”

“I hope so.” Youngjae said as he bit his lower lip. “I mean, I want to hang out again.”

“Don’t worry!” he ruffled his hair, making the latter jump slightly at the contact. “You’ll be back here before you know it.”

Somewhere along the way, the distance between them had closed and were sitting next to each other at a close distance. Mark dropped his arm over his shoulders, providing the warmth that he so needed at the moment. He leaned into the touch, not caring at the moment whether they had met each other or not. It was cold. (Excuses, his mind screamed.) He’s not sure how much time has passed. The night sky continues changing subtly under their watch, making it hard to tell. At one moment it seems completely pitch black, but then it’s a beautiful purple with little dots that sparkle. It then changes to a spooky dark navy blue because the moon illuminates behind the passing by clouds. The view is much more spectacular outside than it was from the inside, and he’s glad that he decided to leave the castle for the night. Without him noticing, he fell asleep on Mark’s shoulders with a smile on his face…

When he woke up, it was already day light. He looked around, unsure where he was until last night memories come flooding like a wave. Youngjae looked at his right and sure enough, the hybrid was there with him, his arm still around his shoulder, providing him some warmth. He thinks about how uncomfortable it must’ve been for him to sleep in that position for so long, but the latter is sleeping soundly. The sight is endearing and he can’t help but observe his handsome features.

They had been much more intimate than they were already, having pressed each other’s body as they danced together, but he never really noticed how his nose was a little crooked. His eyelashes weren’t as long as he thought they would be, but they were still strangely appealing to him. He didn’t have a beauty mark like he did, but his golden locks definitely looked worth messing up. He just wanted to run his fingers over them and play with it for a while, and find out whether his hair was as soft as he was when he was a bird. Mark’s trade mark, Youngjae thinks as he continues observing him, was definitely his smile. When he smiled, it was like he could lit the whole world with it because his teeth were just so white. He’s not ashamed for having stared at him so much, but he stops looking at him anyways, his cheeks turning pink. He didn’t want to be caught in the process.

He gently moves away the arm around him, and gets up so he could bring some food for them. He enters through the kitchen door and notice that the workers haven’t started working yet, something he was partly grateful for. If they found out he was out during the night, then they surely wouldn’t shut up about it to him. His kitchen friend in particular likes to nag him a lot to the point where he actually snaps at him and tells him to shut up. He never does and although he’ll never admit it out loud, it’s nice to know that someone in the castle cares about him. Youngjae grabs two apples, one for him and the other one for Mark. He leaves again through the backdoor and notices the latter had woken up. He was looking for him as he rubbed his eyes, the sight simply adorable that he chuckled. The other looked at him before he smiled sleepily, “’Morning…”

“Good morning, sleepy head. Got you this.” He offered the apple to which the latter took gratefully.

Youngjae was getting his fangs out when Mark asked, “So what time are you leaving exactly?”

“I’m not even sure.” He said truthfully before adding, “But knowing him, he’d probably want me to leave as soon as possible. Especially when it’s a ball in the West. It takes time getting there even by car.”

The hybrid nodded thoughtfully before a small frown appeared on his face, “Then I guess you have to leave after this.”

Reality slaps him hard against his cheek, but he waves it off as nothing and simply nodded stiffly. He didn’t say anything about it and neither did Mark, having both been caught by it by surprise. Youngjae’s fangs peeked out and took a bite from the apple, sucking all of the life out it like he had done during the night. The act relaxes him again until he’s not thinking about anything in the absolute. It ends when there’s nothing else to drink from and he looks at the apple, a bit unsatisfied by it. He consoles himself by thinking that there’ll be more apples at the ball, and he looks at his company.

Mark was half way through his apple when he noticed the latter look at him. His eyes travel down the apple and he smiles sadly, knowing what this meant. “Then I’ll see you later. Thanks for the apple.” He said as gave him his back.

The latter stretched out his hand, ready to stop him for a moment when he heard his name being called from the inside. He stops and groans, and he looks helplessly at Mark. He doesn’t turn around, however, and continues walking somewhere until Youngjae sees him transform back as a bird. The apple suddenly falls to the ground, not having anything to sustain it, and he flies higher than he has ever seen him done. He thinks he’ll never get used to it because he’s never witnessed this before until then. It must be nice to be able to fly next to clouds and see everything from up there…

He reluctantly goes back inside only to see workers frantically preparing breakfast, which can only mean one thing. Park Jinyoung had awoken up from his beauty sleep and that meant spent all day preparing himself for some stupid ball. A sigh escaped his lips as he left the kitchen and headed back to his bedroom, knowing already what was in store for him. He didn’t take his time walking to his bedroom, but he practically ran there because he simply needed a way to release his frustrations. His bedroom isn’t far when he runs so he gets there fast before the king can scold him for having stayed out all night.

When he enters his room, he sees a few butlers and maids waiting by his bed with some clothing on their arms. Youngjae greets them politely with a nod, to which they reply back with, and he strips off his pajama clothes. It’s not awkward stripping in front of them since he’s done this type of thing before. He then let’s himself get dressed, stretching out his arms so he could easily put on his shirt and vest on, and cooperating with them when it came to putting on his pants. He inspects himself in front of the mirror and he looks handsome.

A stylist later comes in with hair products and make up, and makes him sit down on his bed as they started applying the make up on him. Youngjae lets himself be touched, his eyes closed so they could apply the eyeliner easier, and moving his head accordingly to what they instructed. The make up is done quickly and they then start styling his hair. That was when he usually got bored, considering he had to stay still or otherwise his hair would be a mess. Luckily for him, Park Jinyoung entered through the doors and headed directly to him. “It’s good that you’re up so early,” he said, faking a smile that didn’t reach up his eyes. Nobody bought it, taking in account all of the other times how he treated him like trash. “After you get finish up here, you’ll get on the carriage prepared for the West. On your way there, you're to stop by the South and visit the Park’s. There will be waiting one of your step cousins that will accompany you to the ball.”

“Ugh, no!” he protested. If there was something they could bond over, it was their dislike for their cousins. “I can’t stand Jimin…”

Park Jimin was Park Jinyoung’s cousin and Youngjae’s step cousin. Despite the fact they were cousins, they weren’t anything alike each other. While one was purely evil and out to get him, the other one was the completely opposite. Whenever they met each other, Jimin would bounce off the walls excitedly and tell him all about his days and about his boyfriend, Min Yoongi from the North West, when frankly, he didn’t really care. There really was nothing wrong with him except the fact that he was related to the king and well, he couldn’t bring himself past that fact. That was him. Park Jinyoung disliked his cousin simply because he was annoying.

The latter sighed, nodding in understanding. “Yes, I know. Me either, but it beats than being alone so stop complaining.”

His lips were tight shut after that.

Surprisingly, everything passed by quickly. They finished styling his hair and he got on the carriage they prepared him. Everyone in the castle saw him off, even Park Jinyoung, which was weird. This time the smile he had on his face reached up to his eyes, making it obvious how glad he was from having sent him away for a whole day and night. He looks around to see if Mark was somewhere around the trees and much to his disappointment, the latter was nowhere seen. He ignored his heart aching for his presence again and looked somewhere else. It was going to be a long trip; it took two hours getting to the South by cart and to the west it took another additional two hours. In total, he would be wasting four hours inside of the carriage, doing absolutely nothing but look outside and maybe try chatting with the person that’s taking him. It wasn’t that bad…

What a load of crap. It took him exactly an hour and a half to realize that he couldn’t possibly sit by and do nothing. He even tried talking to the person in front of him, but it was clear to him that the latter didn’t want to talk. Youngjae desperately wished for something to happen that they had to stop and walk around looking for some help. It was a scary wish, but all he wanted to do was run for miles and miles just so he can lie down on the ground and make himself at home. Unfortunately for him, nothing happened and before he knew it, they were already near the Park’s castle.

He waited inside the carriage for Park Jimin to show up but as minutes passed, he started to think that the latter had forgotten. Seeing no other choice, he got off the carriage and entered the castle grounds, looking around for a familiar red hair. To his surprise, the castle looked abandoned. There was no one in sight except for him, and he couldn’t help but think that maybe everything was set up by Park Jinyoung. He scoffed in disbelief before he turned around to return to the carriage. He was going to return back to his castle and demand an explanation from him, and ask him whether there really was a so-called-ball held by the Im family. Youngjae got back on the carriage, slamming the door shut before he said “Return back to the castle! I think I’ve been set up.”

He expected for the carriage to start moving but when he didn’t feel the carriage move, he glared at the driver as he raised an eyebrow. The driver looked back at him, a smirk tugging his lips before he shook his head in denial. “Sorry, prince. Orders are others. Nothing personal.”

That was when the alarm bells started ringing loudly in his head, and Youngjae instinctively grabbed the carriage’s door handle. “Orders? Let me guess. By the king?”

“Yeah.” He admitted easily with a shrug as if saying _what can we do?_ “To kill you actually.”

The latter let out a laugh before shrugging as well, “Too bad, I guess. I want to live.” Then in a swift movement, he opened the door handle and sprinted toward the forest as fast as he could. His heart accelerated as he run, beating hard against his chest and on his ears, hearing faint calls after him. Any other moment, he would’ve taken notice of how nice the wind felt against him, but he was preoccupied at the moment. Sweat started to run down his face and he internally cringed at it, not liking how it felt when one sweated. This was one of the few reasons why he was glad he was a vampire; he could easily outrun someone. Sure, he tripped here and there, but he managed to make a huge distance between him and the assassin.

He continued running before he finally decided to climb a tree. Youngjae climbed up higher and higher until he was sure he couldn’t possibly find him. Relief washed over him, but he tried not let his guard down just yet. He breathed in and out steadily, his hand on his heart feeling how fast it was beating from the adrenaline he just felt. Part of him still couldn’t believe that there was someone trying to erase him from existing but then again, it didn’t surprise him to know it was an order from Park Jinyoung. He just wondered what he might’ve done to finally make him explode and make the hasty decision to get him killed. It was around then, he heard close footsteps nearby. He stopped breathing and held his breath, his heart picking up its previous pace back. It sounded louder than it was a few minutes ago, and he desperately wished that the assassin couldn’t hear it from where he was.

Minutes passed before another footstep was heard and he heard a faint conversation taking place. He couldn’t hear it, but he decided it wasn’t worth it anyways. Youngjae waited until he couldn’t hear anything else and he started to climb down the tree as carefully as he could. He looked to his sides and walked around the forest, unsure as to where he was. When he was running, he wasn’t really looking to where he was heading to. All he could think was that he needed to survive the attack and get back to the castle as soon as possible.

The walk around the forest felt endless. He kept walking and passing by trees that looked the same as each other. Never had he felt as small as then; the trees looking like they could easily reach up the sky and towering over him effortlessly. It was also dark and spooky with the mysterious mist surrounding it, completely blocking his view of the end. There weren’t any animals around, the forest completely quiet except for the leaves crumpling under his footsteps. He looked around with wide, uncertain eyes as he hugged his arms closer for warmth. It was starting to get chilly the more he walked around the forest, and he needed somewhere to stay. Otherwise, he doesn’t think he could survive around the forest especially with the assassin after him.

It feels like hours have passed before he finally trips and falls somewhere. The crash isn’t as impacting as he thought it would be, and he slowly opens his eyes to finally see a clear sky. A loopy smile graces his lips as his vision starts to get hazy and heavier for some reason. He shifts his eye sight and notices how he had accidentally fallen next to a trunk and scratched his arm with it. It’s a small wound, but it causes his heart to slow down and he starts to sweat even more than he was already. For some reason, it keeps bleeding instead of stopping. Youngjae can see a red string now turning thinner and thinner until it’s almost not visible anymore. He dimly realizes that it’s his life line and he wishes that he somehow makes it, but it all goes black when he shuts his eyes…


End file.
